Tie knot former



Nov. 14, 1950 v. M. NEWMAN 2,529,957

TIE KNOT FORMER Filed Dec. 3, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 20 v v BY ill 23? fWard /8 ATT RNE Nov. 14, 1950 v. M. NEWMAN 2,529,957

TIE KNOT FORMER Filed Dec. 5, 1946 2 sheets-sheet 2 MWwEN I OR Mmflzzzfijt,

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE TIE KNOTFORMER Victor M. Newman, New York, N. Y.

Application December 3, 1946, Serial No. 713,624

This invention relates to necktie forming devices and more particularlyto a member for preforming the knot structure of a necktie.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a necktie arrangementwhere the knot former is of predetermined tubular form and is initiallyand fixedly tied to one length of the tie to form a portion thereof intoa knot while the other length remains free and may be merely connectedagainst the knotted length so that it may be made up on the wearer.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tie knot former for anordinar necktie which may remain permanently in position, if desired,and whereby the knot is pre-tied on one of the tie lengths Withoutrequiring sewing or similar connections while the other tie length isconnectable against the pre-tied knot.

A further object of this invention is to provide a form around which theknot portion of a tie length may be applied and wherein the constructionof the form is such that the tie is given a drape, or dimple,immediately below the formed knot.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent from the followingdescription, it being understood that the above general statements ofthe Objects of my invention are intended to describ and not limit it inany manner.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a made-up tie incorporating thedevice of the instant invention.

Fig, 2 is a front elevational view of the knot forming device with theclamping structure removed therefrom.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the device as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a top perspective view of the device as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clamping member which is assembledwith the device as shown in Fig. 2 to form the completed article.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the completed article but without thepresence of a tie as required.

Fig. 7 shows the necktie as it is initially tied around that portion ofthe knot former illustrated in Fig, 2.

Fig. 8 shows the tie knot tightened around the forming device.

Fig. 9 illustrates the connection of the clamping member structure shownin Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 shows the clamping of the rear or unknotted length of the tie tothe knot structure.

8 Claims. (Cl. 2--153) Fig. 11 is a perspective view similar to thedevice of Fig. 6 but illustrating the formation of the knot formingarticle in one piece.

In the first mentioned embodiment, the article comprises an arcuateouter element [5 of sub stantially frustro-conical form. The front faceof element l5 may be somewhat inclined so as to converge to a base oflesser diameter or greater curvature as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.Formed centrally of the front face of element 15 is a longitudinalconcavity or valley l6 which, as hereinafter described, serves toproduce a pleasing dimple in the made-up tie, Valley l6 may be ofvarying depth and Width throughout it length so as to guide the frontlength of the tie accordingly. Thus, valley 16 ma be both narrow andshallow at its upper portion whereas it is wider and deeper at its lowerportion, such variation of dimensions being useful in providing thefront length of the necktie with a gradual drape so that it fans out asit emerges from beneath the knot formation and converges thereafter toform the desired dimple. It has been found that such a concavityproduces a desirable dimple, but it is to be understood that theinvention is not to be limited thereto except in respect to those claims1 which so provide.

Element I 5 has rearwardly formed and inturned edges I1 and [8 havingslots l9 and 20 for engaging the knot forming portion of the tie andwhereby the clamping structure may be connected thereto as hereinafterdescribed. Each edge I l and I8 comprises a pair of endwise disposed,inturned members as illustrated, the respective slots [9 and 20extending along and formed by both inturned members of an edge.

In order to initially apply the tie to the forming element l5, andreferring to Figs. 7 and 8, that portion of the tie length which willdefine the beginning of the tie knot is slipped through slots I9 of edgel8. In actual practice, such portion may be one selected about one-thirdup from the front length F of the tie. It will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the outward portion of a tie knot is generallyformed about one-third of the distance from the end of the front or faceportion of the tie to the end of the inner length I.

As the tie length, after insertion in the slots I9, is brought aroundthe front face of element l5, it is then inserted into slots 20 of edgeI! whereby a tubular and substantially frustroconical simulated tie knotis generally formed. but is permitted to remain loose until succeedingsteps are completed. Such completed steps merely comprise bringing thetie length away from slots 20 and inserting it over the top edge ofelement I so as to be between its front face and the tie portion looselydisposed thereabout. The front length F of the necktie is thus broughtdirectly against the front face of element l5, and is permitted todepend therefrom as in conventional tie knot formations. This action isillustrated in Fig. '7.

Thereafter the tie is tightened around the element l5 as tied thereto,as by pulling on the tie length I or F or otherwise adjusting the tieneatly and firmly around the element I5. The tightened knot simulatingarea will thereafter appear as in Fig. 8. At this time, clamping member22 may be connected to the element l5. Clamping member 22 comprises apair of members 23 and 24 having edges 25 and 2B which maybe engaged byinturned edges I? and [8 of element 15 so as to be connected thereto.Member 24 is formed with an integral corrugated gripping portion 21which is receivable into the slot 28 of member 23. Member 23 is alsoprovided with a gripping portion 29 which is complementary to grippingportion 21 whereby the length I of the necktie may be received andclamped therebetween It will be understood that members l5 and 22 are ofa resilient material to permit such clamping operation as will bedescribed hereinafter. It has been found that a thin, resilient steelshell for both members l5 and 22 is satisfactory although it will beobvious that other materials such as plastics may be used.

Clamping member 22 is then applied to the tie and former combinationillustrated in Fig. 8 so that the. clamping member and element l5 assumethe relative positions illustrated in Fig. 6. The actual connection ofthe clamping member is illustrated in Fig. 9. Thus, edge ll is clampedas by pliers or any other suitable tool over edge 26 while edge i9 issimilarly clamped over edge 25. This action firmly secures clampingmember 22 within the hollow of the simulated knot and against the innersurface thereof. When this has been done, the assembly of the tie andknot forming device is completed.

When the tie is to be worn, the user merely holds the simulated knotportion with his fingers on the side edges thereof, as illustrated inFig. 9. As he presses inwardly against such side edges, he will bringthe edges ll and i8 together so as to exert a corresponding force on theside edges of clamping member 22. Accordingly, the gripping portions 2'5and 29 will be forced to separate so as to permit the insertion thereinof length I of the necktie. Of course, it will be understood that beforelength I is inserted between the accessible through the open side edgeof the device, the inner length I can be conveniently and simply placedin proper position. In order to tighten the neckband portion of lengthI, the

. pressure is maintained upon the sides of the knot 3 tie upon thewearer is, of course, the same.

4 structure so that the length I can be pulled down to conform to theneck size of the wearer.

It will be found that the concavity or valley 56 so guides or drapes thefront length F of the tie underneath the outer knot forming portion thata dimple D is formed immediately below the knot structure. This isconsidered highly desirable in the industry and by the consuming publicas will be evident. It should also be observed that whereas the steps inthe assembly have been recited above in full detail,=the actualapplication of the article to the tie can be done simply and effectivelyin a very short period of time. However, since the structure asdescribed requires a pressing tool to connect the clamping member to theforming element, the invention as hereinabove set forth would probablybe utilized mainly by manufacturers or the like although its use bydirect consumers is by no means excluded. In view thereof, I havedevised a modification which requires no such pressing and is therebyreadily adaptable to all classes of users. This modification isillustrated in Fig. 11.

In Fig. 11 the device is made of one piece of metal incorporating boththe forming element and clamping member. Thus, front element lid isformed with edge slots lea and Zea and integral members 23a and 24a.Member 2% is formed with gripping members 35 and 35 which are separatedby a cutout in member 2 3a. Member 23a has slots 3'! and 33 each ofwhich corresponds generally in size to gripping members 35 and 36.Member 23a is formed with gripping member 39. Accordingly, the clampingmember is made effective by slipping the gripping members 35 and 35through the slots 31 and 38 whereupon gripping members 35 and 36 arecaused to abut and press against gripping member 39.

In the device shown in Fig. 11 and in the previous embodiment ifdesired, the article may be formed of bendable metal material which canbe heat-treated at any stage to produce a spring temper. 1 .t can beseen, therefore, that the gripping members 35, 36 and 39 may be easilyworked into proper form and then tempered. The appli" cation of a tie tothe device as illustrated in Fig. 11 follows the same procedureheretofore outlined just as if the clamping member were not present. Theprocedure of making up the It is, of course, quite unnecessary that theinner length I be gripped along a substantial trans verse portionthereof as illustrated in Fig. 10. Accordingly, the gripping member mayserve to engage the tie length only at an outer edge thereof, thegripping members where they meet members 23 and 24 being separated so asto perform no gripping function other than at their respective ends.

I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is obviousthat numerous changes and omissions may be made therefrom withoutdeparting from its spirit.

I claim:

1. A necktie tying form comprising a substantially arcuate structurearound which a portion of a necktie may be applied so as to form saidportion into a knot, said structure being formed with a centrallydisposed concavity over which a front length of said necktie is adaptedto hang whereby said front length is provided with a valley formationbelow said knot, said concavity being of narrow width at the top andfanning outwardly at the bottom of said arcuate structure.

2. A necktie tying form according to claim 1 and including releasableclamping means for engaging an inner length of said necktie whereby saidnecktie may be made up after having been passed around the neck of thewearer.

3. A device for use with a necktie having front and inner lengths, saidnecktie comprising an arcuate, hollow structure of resilient metalmaterial having a longitudinal opening formed therein and tied up withina portion of said necktie whereby a simulated knot is formed around saidstructure, and a pair of complementary clamping members integral withsaid arcuate structure and maintained within the hollow thereof closelyadjacent to the inner wall of said structure so as to have transmittedthereto manual pressure exerted against the outer wall of saidstructure, each of said clamping members crossing each other within saidhollow so as to be mutually separable when pressure is exerted againstsaid arcuate structure whereby the inner length of the necktie may beengaged or disengaged by said clamping members when said pressure isapplied in order to make up the tie on or release it from the neck ofthe wearer.

4. A necktie tying form comprising an arcuate hollow structure having alongitudinal rearward opening extending from the top edge to the bottomedge thereof, means on said structure to engage the ends of a tie lengthportion defining a knot formation whereby said tie length portion may befolded around said structure to produce such formation, spring-operatedclamping means within the hollow of said structure and accessiblethrough said rearward opening thereof for receiving and engaging anopposite length of said necktie, said clamping means comprisingcrossed-over members which are normally in contact so as to grip saidopposite length of said necktie, and means to separate said crossedovermembers for releasing said opposite length.

5. A necktie tying form comprising an arcuate structure offrustro-conical form having edges in which respective longitudinal slotsare formed, said slots being adapted to admit a portion of a tie thereinso as to engage said portion and form it around said arcuate structureand whereby said tie may be securely tied around said structure to forma knot, and spring-operated clamping means on said arcuate structure andaccessible externally thereof, said clamping means being normally closedfor gripping an opposite length of said necktie and being responsive toa compressing action so as to open from its normally closed state.

6. The combination for use with a fabric necktie having front and innerlengths, of a relatively rigid, arcuate structure of resilient materialadapted to be tied up within a portion of said necktie whereby saidportion simulates a knot formed above said front length, said arcuatestructure having a longitudinal opening formed therein from the top edgeto the bottom edge thereof and which is rearwardly disposed relative tosaid simulated knot, and clamping means of resilient material maintainedWithin said structure and accessible through said longitudinal openingwhereby said inner length of said necktie may be introduced through saidlongitudinal opening and gripped by said clamping means so as to make upsaid necktie, side members on said clamping means, said side membersbeing disposed adjacent to the inner walls of said arcuate structure soas to have manual forces on said structure transmitted thereto,pivotally related gripping edges integral with said side members andbeing mutually crossed whereby such manual forces separate said grippingedges and permit the insertion and removal of said inner length.

7. The combination for use with a necktie having front and innerlengths, of a relatively rigid, hollow arcuate structure adapted to betied within so as to be enclosed by a portion of said necktie whereby asimulated knot is formed around said structure, said structure having alongitudinal opening formed completely across the rear thereof, a springclamping member connected within the hollow of said arcuate structureand normally contacting spring gripping members centrally disposed onsaid clamping member so as to be accessible from said longitudinalopening whereby the inner length of said necktie may be introducedthrough said opening to be gripped by said clamping member, saidgripping means being releasable to noncontacting position by manualcompression of said clamping member.

8. The combination for use with a necktie having front and innerlengths, of an arcuate, hollow structure of resilient metal materialhaving a longitudinal opening formed therein from the top edge of therear of said structure to the bottom edge thereof and adapted to be tiedwithin a portion of said necktie whereby a simulated knot is formedaround said structure, and a pair of complementary clamping membersrespectively connected to longitudinal edge portions of the opening insaid arcuate structure, said clamping members being adjacent to theWalls of said hollow structure so as to be subjected to manual pressureexerted against such structure, said clamping members crossing eachother within the hollow of said arcuate structure whereby pressureexerted against said arcuate structure separates said clamping membersso that they can engage or disengage the inner length of the necktie formaking up on, or removing the necktie from, a wearer.

VICTOR M. NEWMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 982,948 Griesemer Jan. 31, 19111,164,590 Fearnaught Dec. 14, 1915 1,396,240 Bakerman Nov. 8, 19211,811,393 Hooper June 23, 1931 1,959,801 Scharlin May 22, 1934 2,119,411Alva May 31, 1938 2,269,017 Gladstone Jan. 6, 1942 2,271,067 Fruns Jan.27, 1942 2,412,480 Stehle Dec. 10, 1946

